LIFE IN UPPER CANADA (1791-1841)

Map of Upper Canada (orange)

WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE ON PIONEER HOMESTEADS AND TOWNS?

required hard, physical labour
relied on crops and animals for survival
little education and socialization

To earn a deed for their land, settlers first had to:

clear and fence 2.03 hectares for ever 40.5 hectares they had been granted
build a 4.88 x 6.1 dwelling house
clear 1/2 of the road in front of each lot

Pioneer Family Chores:

Young Boys
-feeding livestock
-gathering firewood

Teenagers and Men
-making furniture
-building fences
-cutting down trees for lumber and clearing fields
-removing stones from fields
-ploughing
-planting
-sheep shearing
-fishing (at night for larger catches like muskellunge and eel)
-hunting (all seasons)
-harvesting crops
-threshing
-digging water well
-barn-raising and house building
-slaughtering livestock

Young Girls
-feeding chickens
-washing dishes
-setting the table
-gathering greens (summer)

Teenagers and Woman
-salting meat
-making candles
-drying apples
-preparing and cooking food
-childcare
-gathering eggs
-carding and spinning wool
-planting
-milking
-making butter and cheese
-making ticks and mattresses for beds
-making blankets, quilts, and warm woollen clothes

Transportation in Pioneer Homesteads:

most people walked as it was often safer and faster
horse-drawn sleighs used in winter
boats and waterways

For much more information, visit: http://www.uppercanadavillage.com/lifevil.htm

Clergy and Crown Reserves

Reserves are land set apart for a particular purpose. In Upper Canada, one-seventh of all land granted was set aside (seperately) for Clergy and Crown reserves. Clergy Reserves were set aside for Protestent schools and churches, while Crown Reserves were set aside for the British government.

Dissatisfaction in Upper Canada:

many settlers were unhappy with conditions in Upper Canada
clergy and crown reserves restricted development of towns
poor roads made transportation difficult
people had no power in government

The Government in Upper Canada

The Legislative and Executive Councils

conststed of members appointed by the governor for as long as he chose to keep them on the council
advised the governor
ran the government

The Legislative Assembly

was elected by the people
consisted of the representatives of the people
imposed taxes and made laws to serve local needs
had limited power since the governor, legislative Council, and Executive Council could veto its laws

The Family Compact

made up the Legislative and Executive councils
a small, elite group of mostly British business men (many were former Loyalists)
Anglicans
called the Family Compact because they were often related to one another
wanted the government to build canals and improve business within the colony
wanted the government to do nothing about land speculation and the clergy and crown reserves

The Reformers and the Radicals

were often newer immigrants from places other than Britain
many were not Anglicans
called Reformers because they wanted the government to make changes (reforms)
wanted changes to the way the government operated and to the land holding system
some were moderate and some were more radical
the Radicals wanted the same government as the Americans
William Lyon Mackenzie led the Radical reformers in rebellion

Vocab - Terms to Know!

Crown Reserves - land set aside for the British government
Clergy Reserves - land set aside for Protestant schools and churches
Deed - certificate of ownership
Speculation - the act of buying and selling land with the hope of making large proficts from future price changes
Reformers - a group of mostly immigrants who disagreed with the Family Compact and government, and wanted change
Radicals - a group of the Reformers who violently rebelled against the government
The Family Compact - the ruling group in Upper Canada; members of the Legislative and Executive Councils

Quiz

Unit 2 - Life in Upper Canada

LIFE IN UPPER CANADA (1791-1841)